2023 Chicago Steel NHL Draft Preview
The United States Hockey League takes a team-by-team look ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Dating back to 2014, the Chicago Steel have had nine-straight drafts with a selection. The Steel had two players selected in the 2022 NHL Draft with forward
Nick Moldenauer picked by Toronto in the third round, 95th overall and
Hunter McDonald selected by Philadelphia in the sixth round, 165th overall. Defenseman
Owen Power was selected first overall by Buffalo at the 2021 NHL Draft.
Including former Steel F
Adam Fantilli, who won the Hobey Baker Award while playing for Michigan in 2022-23, the Steel had six players listed on the NHL Central Scouting Final Draft Rankings.
While Fantilli is ranked second amongst North American skaters, Steel forward
Jayden Perron was ranked #43, defenseman
Michael Hagens #103, forward
Jack Harvey at #146, defenseman
Jake Livanavage at #181, and defenseman
Chris Able at #185.
Dating back to its inaugural season in the USHL in 2000-01, Chicago has had 48 players selected in the NHL Draft.
Top Prospects for 2023
Jayden Perron, Forward
Central Scouting Rank: #43
College Commitment: North Dakota
Perron, who received an invitation to the 2023 NHL Scouting Combine, tied for fifth in the USHL this year in scoring with 72 points on 24 goals and 48 assists. The Winnipeg, Man., native who led the Steel and ranked third in the USHL in assists, tallied six game-winning goals and was +15 on the season. Perron was named USHL twice during the course of the season - the first time in October after he registered his first two goals of the season in an 8-3 victory over Team USA (U17) on Oct. 14 and followed that performance with a trio of assists in a 5-4 loss against Team USA (U17) the following night. He also earned the honor in March when he had seven points (1G, 6A) in two games against the Madison Capitols, recording three assists on Saturday, March 4 and four points (1G, 3A) on Sunday, March 5.
Michael Hagens, Defenseman
Central Scouting Rank: #103
College Commitment: Harvard
The Hauppauge, N.Y., native totaled nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 60 games in 2022-23. The left-shot blueliner scored twice and had the game-winning goal in a in a 7-4 victory at Des Moines Feb. 11.
The USHL has had 50-or-more players selected in each of the last five NHL Drafts, with a league-best 57 chosen in 2022 and 2018. In all the USHL has seen 990 of its players selected in total, with at least one player taken in each draft but one dating back to 1981.